Department for Transport

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the new InterCity Express trains will include in standard class (1) seats aligned with windows, (2) tables at most seats, and (3) adequate luggage accommodation.

Baroness Kramer: The standard class interior of the InterCity Express trains has been designed with input from the operators providing sufficient numbers of seats to meet rising passenger demand. In standard class there will be a mixture of fixed table seats and airline seats, with every airline-style seat having a seat-back table. The InterCity Express trains will increase the number of seats in the morning peak in to Kings Cross by 28% and 40% in to Paddington when compared with the May 2011 timetable. InterCity Express train interiors are designed flexibly to ensure that as far as possible, seats are aligned with windows and sufficiently deep luggage racks are provided above the seats and at carriage ends. The total volume of luggage space within an InterCity Express train saloon is an increase on the current Mk4 coach interior design in use on the East Coast Main Line.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Burma

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the analysis by Human Rights Watch of the effects of Burma’s citizenship law on the status and rights of the Rohingya.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We share Human Rights Watch’s concerns over Burma’s 1982 Citizenship Law and its impact on the Rohingya community. We have consistently urged the Burmese authorities to undertake rapid action to address the citizenship status of the Rohingya through a transparent, inclusive and consistent process in line with international standards. We have always been clear that, regardless of citizenship status, the human rights of all individuals in Rakhine must be fully respected.

India

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the authorities in India concerning the case of Soni Sori.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: I refer the noble Lord to my previous answer of 6 November (HL2381).

Honduras

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the authorities in Honduras concerning the case of Dina Meza.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: I refer the noble Lord to my reponse of 5 November 2014 (HL2383).

India

Baroness Berridge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the refusal of a visa by the government of India to Archbishop Roche.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are aware that Archbishop Roche was refused a visa to travel to India. Decisions on issuing visas are a matter for the Indian government. The British Government is unable to intervene in another country’s visa procedure.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Business: Education

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are putting in place to support the creation of enterprise societies in education institutions throughout the United Kingdom.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Since 2011, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has funded the National Association of College and University Entrepreneurs (NACUE) to develop more student-led and sustainable enterprise societies and activity across the HE and FE sectors. We do this so that more people are equipped with the skills and ambition they need to succeed in business. There are some excellent examples of students across college and university disciplines coming together to share their ideas and start businesses. Since 2011, NACUE has expanded the number of enterprise societies from 59 to 204.

Department for Education

Schools: Repairs and Maintenance

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they have taken to support the maintenance and upkeep of school buildings.

Lord Nash: On Monday 9 February, we announced over £6bn of new investment for maintaining and improving the condition of the school estate. We are investing around £2bn in the second phase of the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) to rebuild and refurbish school buildings in the very worst condition, between 2015-2021. We are also allocating over £4bn, between 2015-2018, to schools, local authorities, academy trusts and voluntary aided partnerships to improve their own schools. This is on top of the £18bn of capital investment the Government has already invested in the school estate between 2011-15 - including investment to improve and maintain school buildings and funding for new school places. For the first time, we announced indicative condition allocations covering three years from 2015-16 to 2017-18, helping those responsible to plan ahead effectively. Further details on the announcement and the allocations can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/policies/making-the-construction-and-maintenance-of-school-buildings-more-cost-effective/supporting-pages/school-condition-funding

The Lord Chairman of Committees

Parliament: Data Protection

Lord Laird: To ask the Chairman of Committees, further to the Written Answers by Lord Bates on 19 January (HL4242 and HL4243), why it was decided to store parliamentary data on Microsoft servers in the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland; and whether any attempt by the United States authorities to access those records will be made on a mutual legal assistance basis.

Lord Sewel: The move to Office 365, which necessitated the storage of parliamentary data on Microsoft servers, was a core part of Parliament’s ICT Strategy to deliver improved services, connecting Members to the information that they need from anywhere, at any time and from any device. Parliamentary ICT worked in collaboration with the Parliamentary Security Director, the Senior Information Risk Owners of both Houses, counsel, other parties and the supplier to assess the risks of the proposed new arrangements. Any risks in relation to conventional cyber-attacks were assessed to be sufficiently mitigated and the risk of potential cross jurisdictional action was considered to be negligible (for example, under the USA PATRIOT Act) given the reassurances that were received. It would not be for me to comment on possible or actual activities of another country’s authorities.

HM Treasury

Public Sector Debt

Lord Vinson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the annual cost (1) per taxpayer, and (2) per household, of servicing the United Kingdom national debt.

Lord Deighton: In 2013 central government debt interest payments were £49.1 billion. Using the relevant household and population numbers the annual cost of servicing the national debt in 2013 was:   £1,841 per household; and £766 per person.

Cheques

Lord Stewartby: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to ensure that cheques will continue to be available for those who wish to use them, including in particular charities and the elderly.

Lord Deighton: The Government took decisive action on this matter by reversing the 2009 decision by banks to phase out cheques.   As well as this, the Government is bringing in legislation that will require banks to accept cheques in both paper and digital forms. This digital innovation will allow consumers, firms and charities to pay in cheques using only a smartphone image if they wish. It will increase the efficiency of the cheque payment system, making it more sustainable for banks and building societies to provide cheque services. Customers who wish to use paper cheques will continue to be able to do so.

Northern Ireland Office

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the issue to persons from Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland of letters of comfort between 2000 and 2012, concerning earlier offences, why they still seek to prosecute politically motivated crimes committed before the ceasefires of 1994.

Baroness Randerson: Lady Justice Hallett emphasised on a number of occasions in her report that the letters issued under the scheme established by the Labour Government were not an amnesty. They were not a commitment by the state that an individual would not be prosecuted, regardless of the case against them. They were only ever statements of fact as to whether an individual was wanted for arrest at a particular point in time. They were not intended to preclude investigation or prosecution on the basis of new evidence emerging after they were sent or fresh assessment of the existing evidence.Those who received letters under the scheme should be in no doubt. If there is considered to be evidence or intelligence of their involvement in crime, they will be investigated by the police, and if the evidence is sufficient to warrant prosecution, they will be prosecuted.This Government believes firmly in the rule of law, and that applies across the board to everyone, without fear or favour, including those in possession of letters issued under the administrative scheme.

Department of Health

Dermatology

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how Health Education England calculates the number of trainees in dermatology; and how those numbers are matched to future specialist consultant requirements for England.

Earl Howe: The Government has mandated Health Education England (HEE) to provide national leadership on education, training and workforce development.   HEE sets out its commissioning intentions based upon the needs of local employers, providers, commissioners and other stakeholders who come together as members of HEE’s Local Education Training Boards (LETBs).   HEE’s national workforce plan for England is an aggregate of local LETBs’ plans, but the advice and input of clinical advisors and patient representatives, as well as the Royal Colleges and other stakeholders, is also listened to and considered. It is this discussion and involvement locally and nationally that makes this a plan for the whole of the National Health Service in England.   HEE is in the process of reviewing investment in medical education in the context of current and forecast supply and demand, competing priorities, the NHS Five Year Forward View, and HEE’s Strategic Framework.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 26 January 2015 (HL4203), whether they will now answer the original question regarding the compatibility of their various statements that neither the nuclear DNA nor the mitochondrial DNA of eggs or embryos would be altered by virtue of using the proposed techniques.

Earl Howe: Regulations provide for an exemption under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, as amended, that the nuclear and mitochondrial DNA of eggs and embryos should not be altered. To the extent that the regulations provide for donated healthy mitochondrial DNA to be used, the egg or embryo will have had its mitochondrial DNA altered. The point we have made is that there will be no alteration within the donated mitochondrial DNA, that is it will be donated in its entirety with no modifications made to it. No modifications are made to nuclear DNA as part of the mitochondrial donation process.

Cholesterol

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to raise awareness earlier in life of the dangers of high cholesterol.

Earl Howe: Specific information on cholesterol and its impact on health can be accessed by the public through the NHS Choices website.   Information on cholesterol as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease was also shared directly with 4.3 million people between 40 and 74 years between April 2013 and December 2014 as part of the NHS Health Check invitation. Over the same period, over 2 million of those invited also benefited from a cholesterol check and a discussion about cardiovascular disease as part of the NHS Health Check.

Mental Health Services

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the sufficiency of acute beds available to mental health patients; and what they consider to be the reasons for any insufficiency.

Earl Howe: It is for local commissioners to assess the sufficiency of acute beds available to mental health patients. However, the Government has made it clear that beds must always be available for those who need them.   The Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat is a commitment for agencies to work together to improve the system of care and support for people in crisis. The Concordat makes it clear that local commissioners should commission a range of mental health services that respond rapidly and appropriately to a person in urgent need. Every area in England has signed up to the Concordat and is developing action plans to make these pledges a reality.

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust

Lord Walton of Detchant: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what effect they consider the loss of six consultant dermatologists in Nottingham will have upon direct services to the local community and the training of junior doctors and medical students.

Earl Howe: This Government established Health Education England to co-ordinate education and training activity across the National Health Service, including the management of training programmes for junior doctors. Health Education England and the Local Education and Training Board in the East Midlands are best placed to work with local employers in Nottingham to understand and manage the impact of changes.

Contraceptives: Children

Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy on the administering of contraceptive injections or implants to girls under the age of 13.

Earl Howe: It is extremely rare for doctors or other health professionals to supply or administer contraceptives to under 13s and the doctor is likely to be acting on serious concerns about exploitation or abuse.   Guidance from the General Medical Council states that doctors should, as a matter of routine, share information about sexual activity involving children under 13 with police or social services.

Aviation: Security

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has advised that people with implanted pacemakers, implantable cardio veter-defibrilators or neurostimulators can use the scanners at airport security; whether the agency will publish the information that has allowed the policy of not using scanners for such people to change; and whether they have advised airports in the United Kingdom.

Earl Howe: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has published advice on how patients with pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators or neurostimulators can safely use airport security scanners. Full details of the current version of this advice are available at the following address on the gov.uk website:   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electromagnetic-interference-sources/electromagnetic-interference-sources   This advice states that we are not aware of any interference between body scanners and these devices, and gives some simple advice on how to avoid interference with screening wands and metal detectors.   This advice was published in 2010 following the introduction of body scanners to United Kingdom airports. A copy has been attached. The advice was based upon a review of published literature. Prior to 2010 the MHRA had not published airport security advice for these patients and therefore there has been no change to published policy.   Responsibility for advising airports in the United Kingdom rests with the Department for Transport (DfT). The MHRA advice has been reflected in the Code of Practice for Acceptable Use of Security Scanners in the Aviation Security Environment issued by DfT which can be found at:   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/information-on-the-implementation-of-security-scanners.   A copy of the Code of Practice is attached.   DfT requires airports to follow this Code of Practice as part of the Directions served on the deployment of security scanners. 



Security Scanner Code of Practice
(PDF Document, 259.3 KB)

Cancer: Drugs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how NHS England assessed unmet need when evaluating treatments on the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Earl Howe: The decision-making process adopted by NHS England’s Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) panel is set out in the Standard Operating Procedures of the Fund.   Decisions are based on the national CDF clinical prioritisation tool in conjunction with an assessment of median drug cost per patient. This evaluation is completed for each drug/indication under consideration and will result in an overall score based on a number of factors, including:   evidence of clinical benefit; survival and quality of life benefit; toxicity/safety; unmet need; and median drug cost per patient.   Unmet need is defined in the tool as:   “Degree of clinical unmet need, i.e. either the first demonstration of efficacy of a systemic therapy for the disease concerned or a step change for the clinical setting concerned.   Criteria Score No alternative treatment 3 Alternative Active standard treatment exists 0”   The Standard Operating Procedures are available on NHS England’s website at:   www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/pe/cdf/

Cancer: Drugs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of delivery against the commitment in NHS England’s Board Paper on the Cancer Drugs Fund that "no drug which was the only systemic therapy for the indication in question would be removed".

Earl Howe: NHS England has been clear that, if a drug is the only systemic therapy for the cancer concerned, it has not been removed from the national Cancer Drugs Fund list.

Cancer: Drugs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to ask NHS England to consult with patients on the decision to delist cancer drugs.

Earl Howe: NHS England consulted, during October 2014, on proposed changes to the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) process to allow a re-evaluation of drugs/indications on the national Cancer Drugs Fund List and the incorporation of an evaluation of a drug’s cost into the CDF prioritisation process.   We understand that NHS England does not plan to undertake any further consultation on the most recent decisions of the CDF panel which were announced on 12 January 2015.

Obesity

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 21 January (HL4010) concerning the purchase of new ambulances to convey patients who are grossly obese, whether they will promote the policy that the cure for obesity is to "eat less" rather than providing treatments including surgery free of charge on the National Health Service.

Earl Howe: The prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity through diet and exercise remain our priority. We have a well-developed and wide-ranging programme of actions to reduce levels of obesity and promote a strong healthy eating message. These include working with a wide range of partners including Public Health England, NHS England, other Government departments; including the Department for Education and Department for Transport, and through voluntary partnership with industry. Key initiatives include Change4Life, the National Child Measurement Programme, NHS Health Checks, Change4Life Sports Clubs, school sports funding and the School Food Plan.

Patients: Mortality Rates

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of NHS England publishing patients’ death rates.

Earl Howe: The publication of hospital mortality rates is part of the Government’s drive for greater transparency and should help the NHS drive up quality of care.   Risk-adjusted mortality rate data, such as Summary Hospital-level Mortality Indicator (SHMI) is in the public domain. While they do not tell us whether a hospital is safe or unsafe, they can act as a warning light to trusts and commissioners to take stock and take appropriate actions to improve services.   The SHMI can be used by hospital trusts to compare their mortality outcomes to the national baseline. Trusts should commit to understanding their mortality information, particularly where these indicate high mortality and commissioners should use mortality rates to highlight underlying problems which require further investigation. They should also provide contextual information in support of the commissioning process.   Regulators (for example, the Care Quality Commission) and commissioning organisations can also use the SHMI to investigate outcomes for trusts. However, the SHMI should not be used to directly compare mortality outcomes between trusts and it is inappropriate to rank trusts according to their SHMI.   The Government will be shortly setting out plans for how it will be supporting trusts and other providers to review and ultimately reduce their avoidable deaths.

Campylobacter

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to tackle the problem of campylobacter infection found in raw meat, particularly poultry.

Earl Howe: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is working with industry to tackle Campylobacter, through the Acting on Campylobacter Together campaign, and encouraging the implementation of interventions targeted at different points in the food chain to reduce contamination levels, particularly at the highest levels. The FSA is undertaking a United Kingdom-wide microbiological survey of Campylobacter contamination in fresh whole chilled chickens at retail sale and has provided guidance for consumers on the safety measures that they can take to reduce their risk of spreading and contracting Campylobacter from raw poultry in the home.

Smoking

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have to eliminate smoking from public areas outside any buildings.

Earl Howe: The Government has no plans to extend smokefree legislation to outside public areas.

Medical Treatments

Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the HVJ-E protein from the envelope of inactivated Sendai virus was licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency for clinical use; what were the conditions treated by therapeutic use of that protein; and how the optimal dose was determined.

Earl Howe: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is aware of the potential medical use of the HVJ-E (hemagglutinating virus of Japan - envelope) protein from the envelope of the Sendai virus, both for drug and gene delivery. However the HVJ-E protein from the envelope of the inactivated Sendai virus is not currently included in a marketing authorisation approved by MHRA.

NHS England

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Red Cross symbol was used on the NHS England publication Consultation Guide: Investing in Specialised Services of January 2015, given the restrictions on the use of the symbol.

Earl Howe: NHS England has a selection of icons for use by staff, to highlight and add depth to a piece of work or to be used as a navigation tool.   NHS England has confirmed with the British Red Cross that the use of the symbol on the Consultation Guide: Investing in Specialised Services does not imitate their logo or breach their branding guidelines.   A copy of the document is attached. 



SSP Consultation Guide
(PDF Document, 65.27 KB)

Drugs: Licensing

Baroness Hollins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Mr George Freeman, on 14 January (HC220047), whether Nocodazole has been licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency; and if so, for what purpose and where the outcomes of the phase 1 clinical trial were published.

Earl Howe: There are no marketing authorisations containing nocodazole approved in the United Kingdom. No clinical trial applications for investigation of nocodazole have been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

Health Visitors

Baroness Nye: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have achieved their target of 4,200 extra health visitors by 2015.

Earl Howe: The Government is committed to growing the health visitor workforce by 4,200 full-time equivalents (FTEs) by April 2015, and transforming health visiting services to improve health outcomes and contribute to reducing health inequalities. The most recent management information (December 2014) published by NHS England estimates an indicative count of 11,310 FTE health visitors: some 3,218 more than the May 2010 baseline, representing an increase of 40% so far. In addition, there are approximately 1,036 health visitors who are due to complete training by the end of March 2015.